We’re down to the final four in each section.
Over the course of the next two days, 32 teams from across the state will compete for its right to play in its sectional championship matches. The stakes are only getting higher with each match.
Below, check out our previews and predictions for the eight semifinal matches in the North Jersey brackets that are set to be played on Friday afternoon.
NOTE: This story will be updated following the conclusion of Thursday afternoon’s North, Group 1 quarterfinal between Newark Tech and Paterson Charter.
North, Group 1
2-West Caldwell Tech (23-6) vs. 3-Passaic Charter (23-3)
Just a little under one year ago, West Caldwell Tech and Passaic Charter met for the first time ever in this exact game. This time around the Eagles will be looking to reverse last year’s result when it was eliminated, and instead clinch its spot in the North, Group 1 sectional title game. While last season’s 21-3 campaign was incredible for the Eagles, this year has been better despite the worse record. Now in the top flight division of the SEC, West Caldwell Tech wound up winning the Liberty division title and have absolutely cruised through the state tournament thus far. In its victories over 15th-seeded Bergen Charter and 10th-seeded Secaucus the Eagles have outscored both by a 100-65 margin. Dennis Ayora, Timothy Smith, and Giovanni Martin are all returners from last year’s team and have put up huge numbers after breaking out last season.
On the other side of this matchup, Passaic Charter has also continued its ascension into the top teams of Group 1 just like its opponent in this game. The Panthers shocked the state by upsetting Harrison to win the sectional title last season but have not slowed down since to the tune of a 24-5 record and a Passaic County Tournament championship as well. Anthony Matute might be the best player on the floor in this matchup and has taken a huge leap this season on the offensive end while also maintaining a strong defensive presence with his 114 digs. The Panthers have also cruised through the tournament so far with two-set sweeps of 14th-seeded North Arlington and sixth-seeded Hoboken. There’s a strong future for this team as well with Isaac Acevedo and Albert Nova both stepping up. Every player on the roster has gained valuable experience in the Panthers’ quest to win another sectional championship.
Prediction: Passaic Charter
North, Group 2
No. 19/1-Garfield (25-3) vs. 4-Vernon (20-5)
Top-seeded Garfield, ranked No. 19 in the NJ.com Top 20, will likely face a rare test this season from fourth-seeded Vernon in the semifinal round. It’s been another great year for the Boilermakers with this season being one of its best ever. In just three of its wins has Garfield played to three sets. All three of its losses came to two of the best teams in the state in Hackensack and Ramapo. The NJIC has ran through the Boilermakers for the second year in a row and it has explosive players like Ylan Tapper (309 kills), who pair very with players such as Roger Chavez (534 assists). Yet the question remains about the strength of its schedule. The Boilermakers do have several very good wins over teams such as Harrison, Passaic Charter, and Bergenfield, but it hasn’t been tested a ton. A performance like the one it had against Bergenfield could be what it needs to come out on top in this one.
Meanwhile, Vernon has quietly put together its best season since 2013 and won its first ever NJAC Tournament championship. Ever since the Vikings snapped a three-game losing skid on April 16 it’s won 16 of its last 18 matches and just took down the reigning sectional champ in Summit in the quarterfinal round. The Vikings have been tested this season with games against Bergen Tech, Ridge, and Bergenfield, plus there’s more depth on this lineup compared to Garfield’s. Four players – Victor Silva, Caden Krzyzak, Ben Jurewicz, and Josh Jean – each have 100 or more kills. But the question remains of if Vernon can get the big win its searched for all season. Defeating Jefferson for the NJAC title is great, but the Boilermakers haven’t defeated a top-20 opponent this season. Friday would be a great time to try to do that.
Prediction: Vernon
2-Bergenfield (22-6) vs. No. 13/3-Ramapo (22-6)
This is the third matchup of the season between these two Big North Conference rivals. The only difference this time around is one team will have its season end while the other will still be in the fight for a state championship. Ramapo has seemingly been the better team as of late as it has a 20-3 record since April 10. Included in that stretch was a three-set victory over Fair Lawn in the BCCA Tournament semifinals. A recent loss to Jefferson to close out the regular season came as a bit of a surprise, but it looks the Raiders have quickly reset for the state tournament by cruising past 14th-seeded Wayne Hills and 11th-seeded West Milford in the first two rounds. It did also take the most recent matchup against Bergenfield in two sets back on April 29.
The Bears, with the exact same record as Ramapo, looked like it had hit a bit of a slide with three losses in five games in mid-May but since then has won six consecutive games. One of the biggest things for the Bears going into this matchup will be its ability to close out opponents, and to do without many nerves. It had trouble close out Wayne Valley in the opening set of the first round, and then had to defeat Jefferson in three sets in the quarterfinals. Holding leads is a good talent to have as a team, but Bergenfield will probably need to create a bigger lead for itself if it wants to advance. The talent is definitely there for the Bears to do so.
Prediction: Ramapo
North, Group 3
No. 2/1-Scotch Plains-Fanwood (28-1) vs. No. 16/4-Ridge (20-6)
The last time that Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Ridge played this season was back on May 4, and the end result wasn’t particularly close. The Raiders won in two sets and outscored the Red Devils by 15 points. Will Ridge keep it closer this time as it looks to pull off a huge upset? The Red Devils are a very good team with five of its six losses coming to teams ranked inside the top-five of the Top 20 and it has great depth with Pranav Pedavalli, Antonio Rocchi, Preston Shanosky, and Calvin Wang all eclipsing 100 kills this season. As a team it has 174 blocks. In the quarterfinal round the Red Devils thoroughly handled fifth-seeded Millburn in two sets and will look to keep that momentum going into the semifinal round. But it’s got a very tough task getting the draw to face the Raiders.
Ever since rolling to its first ever state title last season, Scotch Plains-Fanwood hasn’t skipped a beat in its quest for a repeat. With a 28-1 record, the Raiders have defeated teams such as Southern, Bridgewater-Raritan, and Hackensack. Tim Ennis has held up his end of the bargain as one of the best players in the state and others like Quinn Donahue and Kieran McElroy Barker, and Daniel Ennis have flawlessly stepped into the starting lineup after spending a year in the bench rotation. Dating back to last season the Raiders haven’t lost a set in any tournament match. Not only that, but in just one of those matches have the Raiders allowed more than 20 points in a set. It’s been an incredible run by Scotch Plains-Fanwood over the past two years and it might not stop in this match.
Prediction: Scotch Plains-Fanwood
No. 4/2-Hackensack (28-1) vs. No. 7/3-Fair Lawn (26-3)
The most anticipated matchup of any of the North Jersey semifinals, this is the second time this season that Hackensack and Fair Lawn will square off. The Comets emphatically won that match in two sets and allowed just 30 points to the Cutters. This is also the second straight season in which these two have met in this specific match. Hackensack also won that match, but in a tightly contested three sets that went to extra points in the third set. That win snapped a postseason losing streak that spanned nearly a decade for the Comets, and it’s hoping that good fortune continues into Thursday’s semifinal. It seems like this could be the year that everything goes right for Hackensack. It has the best senior class in the state, the top setter in the state, and it won its first BCCA Tournament title in 24 years. Its previous win over Fair Lawn this year opened some eyes with how dominant that end score looked, but it’s been a while since the two matched up. But don’t be surprised if Hackensack opens hot and stays hot.
It hasn’t been too long since Fair Lawn defeated Hackensack. The last time was on May 18 of last season’s Bergen County Tournament championship, which the Cutters won in three sets. But shortly afterwards came the sectional semifinal loss, and then the regular season loss this year. There were also the two straight losses to close out the regular season, but it looks like it’s rebounded very well in the state tournament. Fair Lawn was dominant over 14th-seded Woodbridge and sixth-seeded Colonia in the opening two rounds and at least on paper looked like it got some of its rhythm back. But that will be tested against Hackensack on Friday. Hackensack hasn’t trailed or played to three sets a ton this season. If Fair Lawn can get out to an early lead, it could be in the driver’s seat.
Prediction: Hackensack
North, Group 4
No. 5/1-Bridgewater-Raritan (22-4) vs. 4-Clifton (21-6)
It wouldn’t have been a surprise coming into this season to see Bridgewater-Raritan as the top-seed in this section and in the semifinal round. The Panthers won the section last season as the fifth-seed but are a better team this season behind one of the top junior duos in the state with Harry Fromberg and Cameron Williams, as well as senior Trevor Sullivan. After putting it together at the end of the season to win not just the Skyland Cup and its section, that experience has directly bled into this season. The Panthers repeated as Skyland Cup champs and dispatched its finals opponent from last season, eighth-seeded Bloomfield, in the quarterfinals to get one step closer to being back in the sectional final, but will a Clifton team riding its best season in over a decade get in the way?
The high that Clifton is riding this season is an incredible one which has led the Mustangs to its first sectional semifinal since before 2011. In his fourth season as head coach, Jorge Rodriguez has his best senior class, made up of Nathaniel Fisbeck, Adrian Nemeth, Lauro Barrantes, and Jason Labocki mainly, which has guided the Mustangs to this point of the season. Barrantes can be a brick wall in the middle, and when paired up with Sajjad Hameed is a tough duo to overcome. Fisbeck can rip serves that make the opposing defense react late, and then gets back to finish off possessions after being set up with Nemeth’s passing. It’s true that Clifton came up short in the Passaic County Tournament with a semifinal round upset loss that came down to serving, which will be key in this one. It’s also true that Bridgewater-Raritan historically has more postseason success, but Clifton is in the middle of a season it hasn’t ever had and is riding a ton of momentum into the semifinals. How much will that matter in the end?
Prediction: Bridgewater-Raritan
No. 17/2-Livingston (21-6) vs. 3-Elizabeth (20-11)
Livingston is once again a top-two seed in North, Group 4 after another great regular season and a third straight Essex County Tournament championship. But with a new look roster has come some instances of shakiness, which wasn’t entirely unexpected but has come during critical times this season. One such instance came during the Lancers’ quarterfinal round win over seventh-seeded Westfield, which won the first set 25-16. Quickly though Livingston rebounded and dominated the second and third sets to advance. That’s one thing about this Livingston team, it’s likely to rebound quickly from a deficit or lost set. It helps that the Lancers boast arguably the top junior setter in the state in Duncan Sturt, who spreads the ball around to keep a defense guessing and over the course of three sets is a huge thorn in the side of an opponent. This will be the Lancers’ match to lose if those instances of shakiness are kept to a minimum.
Another team in this section that is riding a high that it hasn’t felt in years, Elizabeth has gone from 7-9 and not a state tournament qualifier last season to 20-11 and in the sectional semifinals this year. Cesar Vega came in as head coach and changed the whole operation of this team and has guided its top players to breakout campaigns. Leo Fontaine and Gabriel Perreira both have over 100 kills this season after combining for less than 100 last season. Edwin Paniagua also has over 100 kills and wasn’t even on the team last season. Wady Duran has gone from a 200-assist campaign to totaling 542 this season. The Minutemen have also been ambitious in its scheduling with out of conference matches against Fair Lawn, Monroe, Howell, Jackson Memorial, Southern, St. Joseph (Met.) and Bergenfield this season. Its only win out of that bunch was over St. Joseph (Met.). Will its ascension this season continue in the sectional semifinals? Or will we have to wait until next season to keep an eye on Elizabeth.
Prediction: Livingston
Donovan Hugel can be reached at dhugel@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X at @donohugel.
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